new at 4:00, a revealing decisions, why the controversial body scanners are being pulled from airports, including dulles. caught on video, two thieves rob an armored truck guard, but they make a crucial mistake. is a food allergy a disability? a decision that could change the way americans eat at restaurants and school cafeterias. good afternoon. >> the new numbers are in, and it's shaping to be up worse than your average flu season. this afternoon the cdc said nine more children or teens have died the flu. that makes a total of 29 people nationwide who died this season. half of all confirmed flu cases are people 65 and older. >> the food is widespread in all states. erica edwards has more on why doctors say you'll still need to get that vaccine. >> reporter: these newborns are too judge for a flu shot, but now that we're in the middle of

a bad flu season, doctors says these babies have protection for the first six months of life if their mothers got the vaccine while pregnant. >> i got it before the flu season started, when i was a little shy of seven months. >> the antibodies cross the placenta, and then if she breast feeds, she's giving more. >> dr. edward mckay points to a recent study of more than 117,000 pregnancies in norway. it concluded the flu shot is safe for pregnant women and their babies without any bad side effects. pregnant women who got the flu were more likely to miscarry. that risk was slightly decreased if they had been vac nated, but still got a milder or different strain of the flu. >> this is serious business. it's important for moms to get their flu shots. >> reporter: the flu also tends to hit the oldest members of society. while public health officials say overall flu cases are beginning to decrease, flu rates

among the elderly have risen sharply. the latest data from the cdc show that flu cases remain widespread throughout the country. only hawaii, tennessee and washington, d.c. have been spared the brunt of the viral storm. erica edwards, nbc news. and health officials expect to see more flu cases and deaths in the coming week, as the flu epidemic progresses. the final countdown to the inauguration is on. here's a live look at the national mall. getting ready for that huge crowd that's expected to witness obama's swearing in, with only days before the second inauguration of president obama, house republicans have floated a new plan they say will extend the debt ceiling for three months, but also cut congressional paychecks if mr. obama and the democrats don't agreed to deep spending cuts by april. steve handelsman says the gop has just grabbed the headlines

two days before the inauguration. >> reporter: washington is almost ready. massive security, barriers going into place, bleachers along pennsylvania avenue for monday's inaugural parade. and the president atviewing stand, bulletproof and fancy, rebuilt every four years but since a huge crowd full of hope saw the first swearing-in, america has lowered its expectations. only 35% in the nbcs in/"wall street journal" poll says the country is headed in the right direction. as president obama's news portrayed is released, his approval stands at 52%. his likability at 61%, but only 29% say he is working effectively with congress. and today there's more conflict. responding to the president's declaration that he won't negotiate over the debt ceiling, republicans backed down. they raised the borrows limit but just for three months.

if democrats don't great to a budget of deep spending cuts by april, they cut off lawmakers' paychecks i want why should the american public pay elected officials this they don't do their fundamental right to pass a budget. >> reporter: since richard nixon resigned, second terms have had negative starts. >> it's been a long time since we've seen a positive second term. >> the bush 43 second term was plagued by iraq and hurricane katrina. the clinton second term by scandal and impeachment. now, amid the preparations for celebration, the new obama term starts with a budget confrontation. -- saying that republicans, again in the words of the white house, backing off their plans to hold the u.s. economy hostage because republicans want what they call drastic spending cuts in programs like medicare. and so whether this distracts

from the inaugural or not, it's at least something the without first said was a negative and notice claims might actually bea positive. i'm steve handelsman, news4. thanks, steve. starting tomorrow metro will begin selling special passes. the transit agency is untiling to use smarttrip cards. the commemorative passes will go on sale tomorrow at metro center and stations. the passes are good all day, but passengers can load more money onto them. coming up on "news4 at 5," adam tuss will have details on everything you need to know to get around on inauguration day. news4 will cover every aspect. we'll be reporting live from the parade and swearing in. the coverage starts monday at 4:00 a.m. and continues all day. taking a live look outside, sunshine is here, but so is the arctic air. >> it's cold out there.

how cold about it be for the weekend? veronica johnson has details. how about that? >> not too bad for the weekend. the actual temperatures. what you will be blaming -- not me, because the wind. the winter will be an throughout seared and sunday. of course, it was behind the system that delivered the far southern snow. that system about 50 miles further south than really some of the guidance that we had been tracking indicated. gwenna vista, roanoke 5, even rich more picked up snowfall in the bottom portion of your screen, pigging up 3 inches of snow. just to the south of us and the carolinas too had much more than that. a bit of wind today, the windchill readings much lower, so where will with el be for the overnight, folks? cold and even colder air coming

in next week. we'll talk about it in just a couple minutes. thanks, veronica. lance armstrong comes clean. >> the scary thing is that winning seven tours, i knew -- i knew i was going to win. coming up, the new admissions he could make tonight. we'll explain how to use facebook's new search feature and what it means for your privacy. and find out what you'll be able to

a big scare when two airplanes touched wings at miami international airport. will youyly for one was injured. an incometic plane from argentina clipped a plane at the gate with passengers boarding. some passengers said it felt like a big jolt. others watched out their windows to see their wing destroyed and ultimately the flight canceled. an aide to john leopold said she was afraid she would lose her job if she didn't do what he wanted. patricia medlen was the first of five witnesses so far to take the stand today. she said she acted as his personal nurse when he underwent surgery and she helped campaign staff members put of signs. he is accused of using the security detail to run personal and political errands.

the trial is expected to last about two weeks. instead of a jury, the judge will decide his fate. former new orleans mayor ray nagin has been indicted on 21 counts of corruption, the charges include bribery money laundering and wire fraud. he's accused of ception more than 160,000 in bribes and gifts from city contractors. the contractors/already pled guilty and will testify if nagin's case goes to trial. he served as mayor of new orleans from 2002 to 2010. he gained national attention when hurricane katrina hit the crescent city in 2005. should a food allergy be considered a disability? we'll explain how the question could change restaurants around the country. let's take a live look outside. we're about to

i'm keith russell. secretary of state hillary clinton just wrapped up a news conference on the ongoing host an situation in algeria. she says she's been in contact with leaders to tell them to take theu most care in caring

for the hostages. algeria said at least 12 hostages have been killed in the last three days. according to the a.p., one death is the death of an american from texas whose family has been notified. meantime, officials at notre dame are calling in the call for manti te'o to speak publicly about the hoax. athletic director jack swarbrick says he's encouraging the star linebacker to come forward. and finally, are you going to the national maul for inauguration day? fighting the crowds, standing in the cold. now there's an app. to help you find the best bathroom nearby. no joke, sharman has an app. called sit or squat, rating the bathrooms closest to you, and use the reviews to find clean, accessible rest rooms. once again it's call sit or squat. at the live desk, keith russell, news4.

president obama prepares to take the oath of office, the new official portrayed was taken, standing in front of his desk, arms crossed with a big smile on his fate. you might remember it was dirt from the portrayed taken. back then he was not smiling and his hair is a lot grayer. some say it's just evidence of how the stress of the job has aged him. events for the president's second inauguration kick off this weekend. first lady michelle obama will be sporting a brand-new look. nbc's kristin welker has the scoop from the white house. >> the first lady hit the town thursday night to celebrate her 49th birthday and her new do. earlier she took to twister to showcase the sleek new look. and the buzz over her bangs was immediate. "people" tweeted -- goods who is turning 49 with bangs?

yeah, b-day girt a fab new cut. "vanity fair" also weighed in remarking there's no other way to put this -- got bangs. michelle obama made her mark as a fashion risktaker, doning a white chiffon ground and j. crew gloves during her husband's swearing in, saids the expectations exceedingly high this time around. >> every time she walks through the door of the white house into the public, she knows all eyes are on her. >> the first lady's office is mum about what michelle obama will be wearing next monday, but one day is certainty, he choice could be big money for the lucky designer. >> it's almost like holding a lottery ticket, when she wears a garment. the stock price can rise. under scrutiny, her agenda, an official close to the first lady says she and her team are in the process of developing a second

term strategic plan right her focus helping military families. >> i won't be satisfieded, nor will my husband until every single veteran and military spouse who wants a job has one. >> moving is fun, right? . and the let's move campaign aimed at combatting childhood obese why the. >> 3, 2, 1, all right! >> some critics have wondered wee the -- >> do you feel like you have to avoid controversy? >> you know, i think i am strategic. i try to be strategic. i want to make sure the things i do further my husband's admission. administration. right now the first lady enjoys a favoritability rating that's sky high. as for the all-important question, the first lady's office won't say which designers's clothes she'll be wearing. >> i know exactly what she's be wearing. something warm. why?

why do i know that? take a look at the forecast. the temperature on monday -- okay, we're talking about during the day, will be in the 30s. windchill readings will be running in the 20s. 25 to around 30 degrees, so it's going to be breezy on monday for anybody that will be out on a bundle-up kind of day. what do you think? will you be out there on monday? >> i will be out there i want i'll be in here. >> one in, one out. there you go. speaking of out and where there was real winter weather. let's go to the southwest portion of virginia, where they are digging out. over a foot of snow, in fact, was real heavy, it came down, it was the wet snow, so of course laying down on the power lines, some of tree limbs there, you can see some of the crews out trying to clean up as roads were icy and slushy, but that storm system for them led to 71,000 customers that were without power yesterday. again, it's ought about reco

recouping and rebounding today. here's the map showing that snow fact. in fact, a big snow for areas of north carolina, areas of tennessee, too. russellville, tennessee, picking up 5 inches. grassy creek, north carolina right there picking up a foot of snow as well. bluefill, west virginia, almost a foot of snow. right down to the south of us, through portion of is it north carolina, all right. we're at 38 degrees, wind a big deal for today. the winds have been gusty at time. so sunshine, there it is, our system way off the coast. other the next cupeling days, they'll be passing by, right now it doesn't look like we'll have any major storms, just major

cold air. we've got one wave that will move in during the overnight areas. charleston there in west virginia, 35 in columbus, ohio right now, but our next wave of cold air will be dropping out of canada. you can see boise at 15 degrees. that cold air will be funneling down south and east toward the mid-atlantic, arriving here the beginning of next week, so most of the early part of next week will have highs, on the low side, in the 20s and 30s. we'll talk more about that pattern later. tomorrow morning 26 to 27 degrees, downright cold. under an area of high pressure, bright, cold, windy, that's our day tomorrow. still windy on sunday, with the wind again, even the weekend will feel much colder than that. behind that system coming through, your monday, again sunshine with a few clouds coming in the latter part of the

day. evening forecast, 29 to 34 degrees. tomorrow morning, wre clear, cold with windchills in the teens even though the air temps will be in the 20s. by the afternoon a bit warmer, but again windy. that's what we'll have to deal with this weekend. we get the sunshine, but windy through the weekend. we'll make it feel much colder. at times it will be cold and windy. we'll talk about the windchill readings for next week. the arctic air, how long it sticks around, back to you. still to come, the latest in the controversy over the revealing body scanser. why the new technology is being pulled from the airports, including one in our area. a man throwing a woman on the tracks. why people are upsit about what police did in response. and alisha keys and her super-sized new gig.

disgraced british designer john galliano is getting a chance to redeem himself. he will spend the next three weeks working at oscar de la renta's new york studio. he got in trouble two years ago for the anti-semitic behavior. in one incident he was caught on video making anti-semitic

remarks. he was fired as creative director of christian dior. galliano said his addiction to drugs and alcohol left him out of control, but he says hess's in recovery now. ♪ i just want you close ♪ you know i do where you can stay forever ♪ a super-gig for alisha keys. the nfl has announced she'll be singing the national anthem. keys will belled out the star-spangled banner just minuted before kick off. if the teams playing will be decided this weekend. it will be either the 49ers or the falcons verse the patriots or the ravens. still ahead, lance armstrong's doping admit. >> yes or no, did you ever taken banned substances to enhance your cycling performance? >> yes. >> why the charity he founded

actually says it's relieved. plus thieved rob an armored car guard. they stole the money, but left the most important thing behind. let got times roll.

there are over 200 varieties of gourmet coffee that have earned the "keurig brewed" seal of approval. the keurig brewed seal is our commitment that the coffee inside will deliver a delicious cup of coffee every time. keurig brewed -- look for the only mark of genuine keurig quality. welcome back to "news4 at 4." the krids released new

numbers on the bad flu season we've all been enduring. they say nine more children or teens have died of the flu, making 29 people nationwide who died this season. half of all confirmed flu cases are in people 65 and older. the flu is widespread in all states except tennessee and hawaii. president obama's second term will start with a budget battle. house republicans say they will extend the debt ceiling for three months, but if democrats don't agree to a new budget with deep spending cuts by april, members of congress will lose their paychecks. witnesses are testifying at john leopold's trial. one said she believed she would be fired in she didn't dough what he wanted. he's accused of using staff to run personal and political errands. janet owens also took the stand today. let's look at the weather on

this weekend before the inauguration. >> it's been bright and sunny today. of course, if you've been outside, you know it's breezy today. we've had some gusts up to 20 miles an hour, the temperatures currently at 38 degrees with the northwesterly wind at 9 miles per hour right now. take a look at the windchill readings currently. feels like 31 in d.c., 29 in gaithersburg. slightly higher values way to the north and west. what it currently feels like. by 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, winds will diminish overnight, a bit of wind left hanging around. as low as 15, 16 degrees down around culpepper rap hannic. and you folks up north an frederick, will feel like 14, 15. during the afternoon we'll do better as actual air temp gets into the 40s. coming up in a couple minutes,

your nailing railings day plina . the former cycling champion came clean last night. >> what else will be revealed? >> reporter: in part 1, win friday wasted no time getting to armstrong's confession. >> yes, sir or no, did you ever take banned substances to enhance your cycling performance? >> yes. >> in all seven of your douche tee france victories, did you ever take banned substanced? >> yes. >> he'll talk about his personal life and the effect his lying has had and might have, to including on the livestrong charity he founded, where executives were also weighing in today. >> there was a little sense of relief, because our organization today can finally move beyond

this topic and this issue. >> i view this situation as one big lie that i repeated a lot of times. >> reporter: for sure, armstrong's admission dominated sports talk radio today. >> he didn't do a good job softening his image at all. >> also from those attacking him like former teammate tyler hamilton, who was forgiving, but not forgetful. >> it's a huge first step. it's really what happens next. >> reporter: the interview could get expensive for armstrong. sponsors and those he sued over the years are already lining up to recover what they paid him. following a report by the u.s. antidoping agency last year, armstrong was stripped of his seven attitude defrance titles. the international olympic committee took away the bronze medal he won at the 2000 sydney

olympics. huge crowds destroyed the grass on the national mall during the first inauguration, but this time around officials are taking extra steps to protect america's turf. it's call terra-plast. the plastic protective cover will allow light and water to reach the grass, but keep the lawn from being trampled. crewsle began prepping the convex center for some of the balls being held there. first lady mirnl obama takes on hosting duties for the kids ice inaugural ball on saturday. the commander in chief's ball and inaugural ball will be on monday. thousands are expected to attend those. pulling off all those parties is no small feat. everybody from the fine cuisine to the decorations has to be just right. as danielle lee reports, the party-goers are also hoping to impress.

>> reporter: party planners say this iconic moment, the star-studded dance between the president and first lady will draw about 40,000 people to the washington convention center. the two official balls are just the beginning of the glitz and glamour. this party time website is mapping out 93 inaugural events taking place over five days. patrick shah peta is organizing the sold-out chef's ball. >> the balls are a good way to see the energy. >> employees at ard and soul are proceed paring the details. and special libations. >> a splash of club soda. the drink is call the sticking around to celebrate president obama staying in washington for another four years. >> reporter: four years ago official spending top $53 million. this years, a slow recovering

economy doesn't seem to have organizers or party-goers holding back. >> it's 2013. let's have a little fun. >> reporter: at who's wear, the average shopper is spending close to $1,000 on the latest fashions. >> this year they were really looking for pops of color. cobalt blue has been popular for you. >> the newly open dry bar had to expand hours just to accommodation all the requests. >> part of the excitement is just getting beautiful, i think, for women. >> that's they thisland at thoses head to the capital for the biggest party. >> the parties wrap many late monday night, the ticket prices range from $50 to several hundred dollars. many benefits charities, and the tickets available are going quickly. keeping people safe is a major concern for officials during the inauguration. coming up at 5:00, news4's derrick ward takes a look at

some of the special forces brought in to handle security and crowd control. a big idea about smaller cash. we'll tell you which banks have decided to stock their atms with $1 and dlismt $5 bills. and why airports are getting rid of -- rif you're living with moderate to severe crohn's disease,

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an armed robbery shows the robbers forgetting also some very important. they forced this guard to the ground at gunpoint, they didn't take the guard's weapon. as soon as they tookoff, he fired at them, hitting the getaway car at least eight times. police say the guard appeared to be well trained. maryland governor o'malley wants to step up scoot safety during this years's legislative session. he wants to make $25 million available to invest? security for schools. a sign of the times, maryland company is marketing a whiteboard for schools that can stop a bullet at point-blank

range. it's made by hardwire, an armor manufacturer based in pokomok city. it weighs less than four pounds. the maker says they're useful as a teaching tool and they're et to cover a head and torso. the company also markets a bulletproof backpack insert that sells for $99. confused about facebook's newest change? we'll explain the new way to search and what this means for your privacy setting. why president obama will take the oath of office four times. here's veronica. >> we're going to watch the temperatures dro many in a major way this upcoming weekend. folks, inauguration day is going to be cold. our first long stretch

when you hear the president recite the owes of office monday, it will be the fourth time he said it. so just to be safe, chief justice roberts went to the white house, and they did it all over again. again on monday for the public ceremony. check out all of our

coverage at the inauguration on the news4 app.. some of those full body scanners are about to become a thing of the past. why privacies concerns are requires official to remove some asap. >> reporter: some say scansers are like the strip-searches, way too invasive. 76 were removed last year, the remaining 174 will be out of service by june. the tsa currently uses two types of scanners. one produces an image where a person should be produced. they will remain in service. they produce revealing images. tsa says the company that makes the scanners cannot fix the software in time to meet the

congressional man dade. so if you're planning to go to the inauguration, how do you plan what you should wear at what time? it's going to be mighty cold. the average temperature is usually about 37 degrees at noon. we had windchills in the teens last time. so what will the day be like on

month? we're going to see a few clounds move in. even late in the day there will be some wind out there and the readings will be low. between 10 and 15 degrees. at noontime, it will feel like 20 to 25 degrees. by the time we get to the afternoon, so a few clouds moving in. monday, tuesday and wednesday will be unreal. your sky staying clear, plenty

cold. still enough wind, before long, 7:23, it's up tomorrow. so night for the day. we'll talk about the wave that would be moving in. so the real core will be over us. we're talking about -- these aren't lows, folks, these are highs, 20s and 30s for highs. yes, it's looking like it will be windy, too. for tomorrow morning, 20 to 29 degrees, your windchill in the teens, tomorrow afternoon warmer, but still windy. in fact, downright cold. we'll see some warm uptoward the end of next week, to friday

looking like a bit of rain. so chili weekend, cold next week. back to you. >> in news4 your health people with severe allergies could be covered by the disability act. it comes from the massachusetts case where a college student was required to extreme buy the food plan, even though she couldn't eat on campus, in an agreement, the justice department said that allergies could constitute a disability if they're severe enough. that means schools their subject to the disability act could have to make accommodations or could face lawsuits. having to withdraw at least 20 bucks from the atm when you just want to buy a latte, that may be a thing of the path. chase plans to double that by the end of the year.

the rest will be done by the end of the some are. wells fargo and city don't have dollar atms at this time, there's a few $5 machines action no word on whether bank of america will follow this trend. going to college these days any day is a good decision according to a survey. has some high school students opting for either a two-year degree or skipping college all together and getting right into the workforce. new information from pew charitable trusts reveals even though times are tough for college grads, they're even mo difficult for those who earn an associate degrees or who skip college all together. for no one is being paid as much

money. >> facebook has a billion users, and a ton of information, but bringing the two together hasn't always been easy. but as nbc's scott budman records, you need to pay attention to the privacy settings before you search. >> reporter: say you're shopping for a new mobile device. you can search google and computer algorithms with scour the internet for information on gadgets, or you can soon try facebook's search tool called graft search and ask your friends, without bothering them, what they like. >> i need a plumber, i need a dentist, i need a doctor normally we would have asked our friends for it, that's, and along same the search engines. we actually stopped asking friends, but asking these things that didn't do it very well. >> reporter: graph search finds answers from people you do know, tapping into your network of

contacts and the information they have 145ird on facebook. we can sake show me all my friends who like dentists in palo alto. now your data is searchable. any information is searchable. it's going to be found by someone, so pay attention. more renal to think what you're posting, because there's not more information at your and your friends' fingertips. facebook did announce a plan to make it easier for you to adjust your settings. and will graduately roll out the

graphics feature in the next few months. we have breaking news in rockville. make backups on i-270 north between montrose and old georgetown roads. we're told this stems from a police incident in the area. it's caused major traffic problems coming from the american legion bridge as well as georgia avenue around the beltway. if you're heading that way, you should find an alternate route. up next, a man throws a woman on the tracks during a brutal attack. some say why police put even more people at risk. nearly every piece of gun control legislation has gone down to defeat. i'll tell you about a few measures that live on. for all your news, be

we now know what caused the escalator to go haywire at a new jersey train station two weeks ago. it turns out superstorm sandy had something to do with it. port authority officials say massive saltwater flooding caused the machinery to break down. the station was filled with more than 12 feet of saltwater during the hurricane. after the malfunction, crews inspected escalators and

equipment at other stations that were impacted. they are all deemed safe now. a homeless man in philadelphia, attacks a subway rider, throwing her onto the track, as darlene jones shows us, the horrific incident was caught on camera. we want to warn you, the video you are about to see may be difficult to watch. >> reporter: this is enough to make your symptom aches turn. a 23-year-old woman waiting for the train at 8th is beaten in the head by a homeless man. he drags her by the feet onto the tracks. many this man was at a loss for words as he waited for a train at the same spot. >> sheesh, that's a -- >> reporter: the woman was attacked two days ago, so we wanted to know why the public was never warned hess was on the loose. >> this guy could have attacked someone else.

>> and it's an investigative strategy. it was my decision, andivity to tell you, it's not an easy decision to make. >> chief admits it was risky, with you argues a distinctive jacket with a taj mahal emblem, that was the only lead. he increased patrols, handed out flyers and other law enforcement officers were put on alert. ultimately it was a septa office who spotted clark wearing that jacket. we asked if what happened will prompt -- >> it's not fiscally responsible. we do a darn good job of deploying officers. >> fortunately the woman walked away with only a few bumps, bruises and cuts. police also recovered the victim's cell phone when they arrested the suspect. right now at 5:00, d.c. police are accused of failing to investigate reports of sexual assault, and a victim is

speaking out for the first time. >> i did not feel like a victim until i started dealing with the police. one american died in the algerian hostage crisis. we begin with a busy night in washington. thousands of troops arrived today to support the inauguration. metro is also preparing for hundreds of thousands of visitor. >> they will roll out the so the forecast, for inauguration day. we begin with derrick ward live on the mall with the details on thousands of troops that rolled in today. of course it's obvious changes are afoot. you see the jersey barriers, increased signage and big sign across the street, all telling you where to go.